DEDHAM, Mass. — With under 30 seconds to play in overtime, Nobles sophomore center Dennis Davidson (Newton, Mass.) had the puck on the right side of the Tabor zone.
He fired the puck so precisely that Tabor goalie Gus Ackerman (Marion, Mass.), who was in the perfect position to stop it, couldn't, as the disc whizzed into the top corner of the net, giving Nobles a 3-2 overtime win.
One side of the ice was jubilation, as Nobles players jumped on each other in front of the student section. On the other, many Tabor players went down to a knee.
It was a battle.Â
After a scoreless first period, Nobles left wing Ethan Cox (Westborough, Mass.) earned himself a breakaway just a few minutes into the second period. He lost control of the puck, but the momentum carried it past Ackerman to give the home team a 1-0 lead. Just over a minute later, Nobles right wing Liam McCarthy (West Barnstable, Mass.) also got a breakaway and he delivered, placing a backhand over the glove of Ackerman to make it 2-0.
Tabor, however, got an unintentional timeout. A stanchion in the neutral zone came loose and the Nobles ice crew was summoned to fix it. Right after, Tabor left wing Cam Gaffney (East Greenwich, R.I.) batted a puck past Nobles goalie Thatcher Bernstein (Brookline, Mass.) to cut the lead to 2-1.
Shortly after, Tabor right wing Keanan Dewberry, who we'll get to in a bit, poked a pass past Bernstein to tie the game.
It's no secret Tabor would've liked to squeak out this win. The Seawolves have lost four straight games with two coming in overtime. They haven't won since Jan. 11 at Milton.
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Still, head coach Gerry Dineen's team is good and competes hard. They're a squad that plays with a lot of speed and is extremely hard on the forecheck. At some point, they will turn it around.
Let's dive into the standouts.
Austin Tasca
Noble & Greenough, 3/14/2004, RW, right shot, 5-10/160Â
In the first period, I overheard an onlooker compare Tasca to David Pastrnak. I wouldn't go that far, but Tasca does have a great set of hands and an ability to find open space when he has the puck in the offensive zone. In the third period, the Hope, R.I., native used his hands and speed to gain separation off the rush and fired a quality chance that Ackerman stopped.
Ben Nakata
Noble & Greenough, 8/30/2006, C, left shot, 5-10/165Â
Playing center on Tasca's line was Nakata, who also had a terrific game Friday night. His hands and elusiveness were extremely impressive. There was a play in the first period when the West Barnstable, Mass., native found himself behind his own net with the puck. He didn't panic, and dangled around two forecheckers and skated the puck through the neutral zone and into the attacking end. He also broke up a 2-on-1 in the third period, showcasing good defensive awareness.
Brian Grant
Noble & Greenough, 3/18/2004, D, right shot, 6-1/180Â
Grant is paired with fellow senior Matt Tully on the back end in Nobles' shutdown pairing. He gains speed quickly and never seemed afraid to skate the puck himself. In his own zone, the Manfield, Mass., native's physicality helped break up Tabor's plays and his net front coverage was good.
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Jack DesRuisseaux
Tabor, 2/24/2004, C, right shot, 5-10/175
NCAA: Sacred HeartÂ
DesRuisseaux isn't the fastest player, but his hockey IQ and ability to impact the game at both ends of the ice make him impossible not to notice. The center was always either with or around the puck Friday, helping to generate scoring chances in the offensive zone and pitching in on the cycle game. The Manchester, N.H., native would have notched a goal in the first period, but Bernstein's leg kicked the net off, negating the score. Late in the third, DesRuisseaux was on the ice as the lone forward killing off a 5-on-3 — he and his unit succeeded.
Keanan Dewberry
Tabor, 5/8/2005, RW, right shot, 5-10/175Â
It's hard to find someone who plays with more compete than Dewberry. He plays a heavy game with lots of speed and skill. Anytime he had the puck on the rush Friday, there was just a feeling that something special could happen. He finished checks, and that came back to bite him with 4:11 to play in the third period when he got called for an elbowing infraction in the offensive zone. His goal was nice and his impact on the game was large.
Xavier Vaillancourt
Tabor, 3/30/2004, LW, left shot, 6-2/185Â
With just over six minutes to play in the game, Vaillancourt dangled through two Nobles defenders and rang one off the crossbar. He has great hands and showed it Friday night. What also impressed me about Vaillancourt was how aggressively he killed penalties. His work at the top of his own zone while shorthanded was important in limiting what the Nobles power play could do.
